Llywelyn ap Seisyll (died 1023) was a

king of Gwynedd This is a list of the rulers of the Kingdom of Gwynedd. Many of them were also acclaimed "King of the Britons" or "Prince of Wales". List of kings or princes of Gwynedd House of Cunedda * Cunedda (Cunedda the Imperator) (c. 450 – c. 46 ...

in the 11th century who ruled over the Welsh kingdoms of

Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...

Powys Powys ( , ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham County Borough, Wrexham to the north; the English Ceremonial counties of England, ceremo ...

and

Deheubarth Deheubarth (; , thus 'the South') was a regional name for the Welsh kingdoms, realms of south Wales, particularly as opposed to kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd (Latin: ''Venedotia''). It is now used as a shorthand for the various realms united under ...

Biography

Llywelyn was the son of Seisyll, about whom little is known. Llywelyn's mother, Prawst, was the daughter of Elisedd, a younger son of

Anarawd ap Rhodri Anarawd ap Rhodri () was List of rulers of Gwynedd, King of Gwynedd from 878 to 916. He faced challenges from the Mercia, kingdom of Mercia and Vikings, Viking raiders during a period of uncertainty for his realm. Nonetheless, he managed to sec ...

King of Gwynedd This is a list of the rulers of the Kingdom of Gwynedd. Many of them were also acclaimed "King of the Britons" or "Prince of Wales". List of kings or princes of Gwynedd House of Cunedda * Cunedda (Cunedda the Imperator) (c. 450 – c. 46 ...

(d. 916). His paternal great grandparents were

Angharad ferch Meurig Angharad ferch Meurig (fl. c. 875 CE) was a 9th-century Welsh noblewoman. She was the wife of Rhodri the Great of Gwynedd, and was the mother of Anarawd (Rhodri's successor), Cadell ap Rhodri, and Merfyn. Life Angharad was the daughter of M ...

and

Rhodri Mawr Rhodri ap Merfyn, commonly known as , was a Welsh king whose legacy has impacted the history of Wales. Rhodri rose to power during a tumultuous era, where the fate of Welsh kingdoms was often determined by the power of their leaders. Early life ...

(d. 878). Llywelyn was married to Angharad, daughter of Maredudd ab Owain ap Hywel Dda (d. c. 999), who ruled in

and

. He first appears on the record in 1018, when he defeated and killed Aeddan ap Blegywryd and his four sons, subsequently obtaining control of Gwynedd and Powys. In 1022, Rhain the Irishman, who claimed to be a son of Maredudd ab Owain and thereby asserted a claim to Deheubarth, was made its king. Rhain's claim was contested by Llywelyn, as Maredudd's daughter Angharad was Llywelyn's wife. A battle ensued at

Abergwili Abergwili () is a village and community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, near the confluence of the rivers River Towy, Towy and River Gwili, Gwili, close to the town of Carmarthen. It is also an Abergwili (electoral ward), electoral ...

in 1022, where after significant casualties on both sides, Rhain was killed and Llywelyn took control of Deheubarth. According to the ''

Brut y Tywysogion ''Brut y Tywysogion'' () is one of the most important primary sources for Welsh history. It is an annalistic chronicle that serves as a continuation of Geoffrey of Monmouth’s ''Historia Regum Britanniae''. ''Brut y Tywysogion'' has survived ...

'', Llywelyn's reign was prosperous, and he was dubbed "

King of the Britons The title King of the Britons (, ) was used (often retrospectively) to refer to a ruler, especially one who might be regarded as the most powerful, among the Celtic Britons, both before and after the period of Roman Britain up until the Norman ...

" by the

Annals of Ulster The ''Annals of Ulster'' () are annals of History of Ireland, medieval Ireland. The entries span the years from 431 AD to 1540 AD. The entries up to 1489 AD were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luin� ...

. Llywelyn died in 1023, and despite his accomplishments, his son

Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Gruffudd ap Llywelyn ( – 5 August 1063) was the first and only Welsh king to unite all of Wales under his rule from 1055 to 1063. He had also previously been King of Gwynedd and Powys from 1039 to 1055. Gruffudd was the son of Llywelyn ap ...

did not immediately succeed him, potentially due to his young age.

Legacy

Gruffydd ap Llywelyn would eventually become the first and only ruler to govern the entirety of what is now known as

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, although he was killed by his own men in 1063. His sons, Maredudd and Idwal, met their end in 1069, fighting at the Battle of Mechain.

References

Sources

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Llywelyn Ap Seisyll 1023 deaths House of Dinefwr Monarchs of Deheubarth Monarchs of Gwynedd 11th-century Welsh monarchs Year of birth unknown